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The Sinclair ZX Spectrum was a considerably popular personal computer during the 1980s. Developed in Britain, it is often credited for popularizing use of the personal computer in Europe. It featured a screen resolution of 256 by 192 colored pixels (unprecedented at the time for a household computer). It was also known for its multifunction rubber...
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IT Business

Software Hang

Definition - What does Software Hang mean?

Software hang describes a situation when a software program on a computer seems frozen. These kinds of problems are diverse and caused by many different factors. In software hang, the computer does not crash, but just ceases to process commands.

Techopedia explains Software Hang

Experts who consider the causes of software hang are careful to separate several key causes of this kind of problem. One is non-terminating loops or other coding errors that can cause a computer to work on a given task indefinitely. Newer systems have become somewhat immune to non-terminating loops. Another cause is unexpected environments for running programs. Hardware incompatibility can also cause software hang. Finally, a computer or device that is processing extremely slowly can appear to be in a software hang situation, although it may still be working.

Typically, when a program is in software hang, other programs will continue to work. In a Windows operating system, users can engage the task manager to shut down the offending program and re-open it. Software hang may produce a "program not responding" error in some operating systems.